Always A Bridesmaid When Wedding Bells Chime, The Cash Registers Ring For The 'World's Most Useless Fashion'

June 05, 1986|by LORI GROLLER, The Morning Call

It took awhile, but Anne Horvath is finally getting used to the idea that she can attend a wedding and not be continually dragged off for pictures. This Bethlehem resident has been a bridesmaid eight times. Although she now considers herself a seasoned professional, her first walk down the aisle remains a rocky memory.

A few days before her sister's wedding, Horvath learned the extra-length dress she had ordered came in at the regular length. She found the dress would just make it, if she wore extremely flat shoes. So Horvath stood tall at her first wedding, wearing ballerina slippers that were dyed yellow.

"It was pretty traumatic, being it was my first time and everything," she remembered, now able to laugh at the mishap. "Everyone was saying 'nice shoes, Anne,' but at that point, who cares."

Since then, Horvath has not had to resort to slippers, but she has spent well over $1,000 on bridesmaid apparel she has never worn again.

"Some of the dresses, when I think what I looked like in them, it would be safe to say I will never ever be seen in any of them again," she admitted.

Horvath is not alone. June is that special time of year when wedding bells continuously chime. Despite unfavorable divorce statistics, wedding ceremonies are on the rise and consequently, the business of being a bridesmaid is booming.

Kathleen Geosits of Nazareth began her wedding attendant career as a flower girl at the age of 3. The little blue satin gown with the fur earmuffs and muff she wore still hang in the back of her closet, along with five bridesmaid gowns in a gamut of colors.

Like many bridesmaids, Geosits purchased each of her dresses with the initial idea that she would have them cut down into cocktail dresses after the wedding. Although such thoughts still occasionally cross her mind, Geosits is not very confident any of her gowns will ever end up on the cutting board.

"I really doubt it," she acknowledged. "There's one I might consider, but they never seem to fit right anyway. Most are basically good for a one- time-thing. There's something about them that says 'this is a bridesmaid gown.' Like prom gowns, you can spot them a mile away."

The collections of Horvath and Geosits are minor when compared to the over-stuffed closet of the Crisp household in Emmaus.

Marge Crisp's four daughters have left her the caretaker of nearly 20 bridesmaid dresses, including two of some styles and three of another. She half-jokingly says that someday she will be able to open her own shop.

"Every time one of them is in a wedding, I always think maybe this one (dress) will be all right, that someone will wear it to a dance or something later on, but no one ever does," she lamented.

According to Marge, the Crisp family bridesmaid wardrobe is not complete yet either, with another addition due sometime this month.

The Crisp family's situation appears to be following a trend. "There has definitely been an increase in the size of wedding parties in the last few years," said Helaine Sigal, president of Sigal's Bridal Gallery Inc. of Easton. Like many shops in the area, Sigal has found that the average wedding party now numbers between five and eight attendants.

"I think it goes along with the increased interest in weddings," she continued. "Across the board, you see an interest in more formal, traditional weddings. There has also been a return to glamour in the wedding industry. Ever since the big royal wedding (of England's Prince Charles and Princess Diana), there has been a definite increase in more luxurious types of fabrics. You see more taffeta and satin."

This desire for glamour has, in turn, upped the price tag for what has been termed the "world's most useless fashion" - the bridesmaid's dress.

Although Bride magazine reports that, on a national basis, the average cost to outfit a wedding party of five is $446, most of the bridesmaids in this area agreed that nowadays one should plan on spending at least $100.

Gowns costing close to $200 are not uncommon, and more often than not, accessories are needed.

"There's always things you need that you don't think about at first," replied Roseann Termini, a veteran of seven weddings. "Many times you need to get new shoes, a headpiece, a long slip or even a strapless bra."

"Those little things add up," added Horvath. "And you usually don't get to wear many of them again either. I'm lucky I never had to wear a hat. The gowns are bad enough, but what would you do with a hat, when could you wear that again?"

In an effort to keep costs down, those who have acquired some skill with a needle and thread have resorted to making their own gowns, if the pattern is available, while others less endowed have sought out neighborhood seamstresses for the same purpose.

Although resale shops may seem like another less expensive alternative, the size of today's weddings, have made them less feasible.